Ministerial Structure Adjusted After 40 Years, Sarawak Constitutional Amendment Passed

(Kuching, 25th) With the Sarawak Legislative Assembly passing the Sarawak Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2025 yesterday, it has empowered the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak, on the advice of the Premier, to appoint up to four additional ministers (excluding the Sarawak Premier), in order to strengthen Sarawak's administrative and governance structure.

 

This also means that after 30 years without adjustment, Sarawak has finally begun a cabinet reshuffle.

 

Datuk Seri Abdul Karim, Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts of Sarawak, pointed out that the last time Sarawak reviewed its cabinet structure was in 1995, so this legislative amendment is an important move to meet the needs of the times, reflecting the new challenges brought about by the state's rapid development.

 

“Looking back at history, the last constitutional amendment was in 1995, and it has been 30 years since then. This shows that this adjustment is not a hasty move, but is based on the actual needs that are continuously growing.”

He made this statement at a press conference yesterday evening after the Sarawak Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2025 was passed at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly meeting.

 

Abdul Karim emphasized that Sarawak's administrative and economic landscape is now completely different from 30 years ago, especially with the rise of new sectors such as green energy, hydrogen, digital economy, carbon industry, and methanol. These have created greater demand for policy focus and more targeted departmental setups.

 

At the same time, he said, with the legislative seats increasing from 82 to 99, reorganization of the cabinet structure has become even more necessary to ensure more balanced, rapid, and efficient governance.

 

He explained that although the constitutional amendment allows up to 14 ministers, the actual number and whether to establish, split, or restructure certain departments is entirely up to Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg’s sole discretion.

 

“The Sarawak Premier can add, split, or reduce departments as needed, and this authority belongs solely to him.”

 

When talking about fiscal capacity, he pointed out that any decision to add departments will only be implemented if the government is confident that finances are sufficient to bear all administrative expenses, including agency budgets, operational costs, and structural support systems.

 

After several members of the assembly participated in the debate, the Sarawak Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2025 was voted on at 7:34 pm that evening. Except for two opposition party members who voted against, all 74 other members supported it, and the bill was successfully passed.